Unleashed Madness
by Laume
Summary: Yes, everyone thought I fear him. Even me for a while.But now, I am all that stands between him and his death. I do so...fearlessly COMPLETE, both prequel and sequel in progress.
1. Chapter 1

A/N My first angsty sort of fic. Let me know what you think, please!

Unleashed Madness.

It is quite cold here. Not the best of conditions. The desperate coughs have increased over the past hours. They will be here soon now, and I will continue to stand guard. They will only get to him over my dead body.

Didn't you think I'd defend him? Yes, many people were fooled, weren't they. Never mind. I've found him in the forest behind my house, ill and exhausted. I had to take him somewhere safe; somewhere at least, where I would stand a fighting chance protecting him.

His black hair is damp with sweat and a blush colors normally pale cheeks. I fear the fever is rising again but I'm out of potion and no equipment to brew more. Casting cooling charms on the blankets will only help so much.

Ah yes. Everyone thought he loathed me. Even I thought it for a while. I began to see the truth somewhere at the end of my third year. You see, he is a total git, of course. Lessons with him are horrible. But finally I realized he was trying to do me a kindness. In his own slightly demented way.

Crabbe and Goyle he never criticizes. Because they are Slytherins, people think. In fact, he does not bother, knowing it would be a waste of his time and energy to try and teach them. It was this that made me see what he did for ME. He was always lurking around me, sneering, deducting points, giving detentions. He wouldn't have done that if he was really convinced I was stupid. He thought I was capable of much more and tried to extract it. Granted, that kind of psychology never was his strong point.

The boggart? Oh yes, that was quite brilliant. No, of course I couldn't fake it. He really WAS my greatest fear back then. Ignorant child I was. I apologized later for it and he said it wasn't my fault. It was then, I think, that I saw what he was really doing.

It made me feel special. The other teachers are kind to me, don't get me wrong, but they feel only pity. Think the cruciatus or memory charm from my early youth just made me retarded. Well, they did have some effect. But professsor Snape, he didn't pity me. He challenged me. He never got in trouble for how he treated me, so I think professor Dumbledore understood it too. Professor Dumbledore. I remember his words so clearly, at the end of my first year. "It takes courage to stand up to ones enemy, but even more to stand up to ones friends." And that is exactly what I'm doing right now.

Harry will be here soon enough. He is a powerful wizard and has his ways of finding out. I have only one chance. Ironically, it is exactly his underestimating me that will give me my best chance. I owe Harry. He trained me in fifth year. His training finally unlocked the powers the charms had sealed inside me. I am quite a powerful wizard on my own now. A well kept secret, even from my grandmother. She never expected much of me anyway. Wouldn't wanna give her a heart attack by showing her I'm not only as good as my father, but probably exceed him. She is old. Let her keep her memories of a powerful Frank Longbottom.

His cough is more violent. My instincts are to go to him and hold him through it, but I must not let myself be taken by surprise. It would ruin everything. I clutch my wand tightly as I see a faint glimmer. It becomes stronger. Soon three of my best friends will step through, and I will have to stand up to them. Again.

A/N: sorry for the cliffy. More chapters will follow, as I have some time off now.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Wow, I didn't expect a review that quickly.

Duj: yes, this is post HBP (sorry, forgot the spoiler alert) Neville/Snape. It's definately nonslash.

So if anyone is hoping for romantic action between Neville and Snape (gag! I don't even want to THINK about it, much less write it) go find yourselves another story.

The light widened and Harry, Ron and Hermione stepped through, wands at the ready. They were momentarily stunned to see me there, and I took advantage of that. The spell was already half-formed before the light had faded. A large bundle of ropes shot from my wand and wrapped themselves around Ron and Hermione. Darn. Harry must have had some kind of shielding charm or device.

Fortunately, he was still so shocked I had time to whip around and point my wand at him. "Don't move, Harry."

Slowly they regained their speech. All three started yelling at me. "QUIET!" I roared. That helped. They didn't expect any of this from timid, shy Neville. "I'll be happy to explain if you will hold your tongue for just a second." Harry's face was contracted in anger and his hand moved slightly. Despite my nerves, I smiled to myself. What was he thinking? We had fought together, shared a dorm room, trained together, for six years. "Hands where I can see them, Harry. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you leave me no choice."

"Neville…" Hermione's voice came. Oh, I knew that tone. It was her I-think-you-are-doing-something-stupid-let's-talk-about-it-in-a-reasonable-mature-way-voice. I kept my eyes on Harry as I answered her. "Like I said, Hermione, I'd be happy to explain if you three guarantee me you will hear me out and not try to hurt either Severus or me. As you can see, he is in no condition to defend himself and I would die before I let you harm him."

Harry choked. "Neville, he killed Dumbledore. KILLED HIM!" he screamed. Severus moaned, disturbed by both the voice and the mention of the headmaster. "Harry, shut up and sit down. You are going to listen to me first. I know you have questions but I will only answer them if you can ask them in a civil manner."

They were perplex, and I silently pleaded that this would end well so I could tease them mercilessly about the looks on their faces later on.

Hermione nodded. "We will listen, Neville. How come you are here, with Professor Snape?"

Sometimes I just want to kiss her. She can be infuriating but at least she isn't as stubborn as Harry and Ron.

"I found him in the forest behind my grandmothers house when she was out. He was ill and obviously hurt. I knew you were looking for him and couldn't leave him there. So I brought him here, a secret hiding place from my childhood. We've been here for three days."

"But WHY? Don't you hate the greasy git? He's supposed to be your greatest fear." Ron demanded. I sighed, recalling what I had been thinking about only minutes before their arrival. Somehow it seemed hours and hours ago now.

"He hasn't been my greatest fear since the end of that third year, Ron, when I finally understood that he did what he did to help me. Well, tried to help me. I won't deny that his methods are questionable…" To my eternal surprise, Harry grinned. Maybe there was hope that this would end well after all.

"You'll have noticed, Hermione, that he never treats Crabbe and Goyle that way. Not because they are Slytherin – he yells at underachieving Slytherins as well after all – but because he knows it's useless. He was a jerk to me because he believed I was capable of much more. In fact, I owe both him and you a great deal, Harry. You see, when my parents were tortured, I was there." Three pairs of eyes widened. I swallowed, after all these years its still not easy to talk about mum and dad.

"I was there. They only used the cruciatus on me for a little while – kinda pointless, I was only a year old – but when the Aurors came, they obliviated me, trying to be nice. However, the combination of the cruciatus, the trauma of that night, and the memory charm locked a good part of my magical power away in my mind." I see sympathy on their faces now, they have momentarily forgotten to be angry with me for stopping them killing Severus.

"It was Professor Snapes constant pushing, as well as your training in fifth year, Harry, that finally broke through the barricades. I have spent much of sixth year training in secret. Anyway, back to the matter at hand…Professor Snape. When I brought him here and took care of him, I found a letter on him. You were supposed to receive a letter as well, Harry, but I take it you have been on the move and Hedwig hasn't caught up with you yet." Harry nodded. I sighed.

Severus coughed again, and I could see he was drenched in sweat. Wand still pointed at Harry, I put my other hand on his forehead. Burning up. Badly. Hermione saw my face. "Neville, will you untie me? I swear to you on my honor as a witch that I will not try to harm you or professor Snape. I carry a medikit with fever potions, I can help him." I hesitated a moment, then untied her. She is not a liar, she never was.

She drew something from her pocket, a tiny box. "I'm just gonna enlarge it to its normal size, ok?" I nodded. She enlarged the box and opened it. It contained a wide variety of potions. She took out two bottles. "This one is a strong fever potion, and this one will help with that cough," she explained. I recognized the color. She moved over to the cot and gently coaxed Severus into taking them. I don't think he was aware enough to recognize her because he didn't panic.

A snowy white owl flew in and perched on Harry's shoulder. "I would guess your letter finally caught up with you, Harry. I suggest you read it right away." Harry took the letter and stroked Hedwig. His eyes widened. "This…this is Dumbledores handwriting!" he managed to eke out. He opened the spelled seal; charmed to open to his touch alone, I knew. I had only been able to read Severus' letter after pressing his finger on the seal. I felt guilty about invading his privacy, but you see, as far as I knew then, he HAD killed Dumbledore in a fit of hatred.

"What did Snapes letter say?" Ron asked, curious. I shook my head. "I can't tell you. Harry's letter will have to do."

Harry, meanwhile, read the letter out loud.

_Harry, my boy,_

_When you read this I am obviously dead by Severus' hands, as I had planned it. Yes Harry, planned it. Now close your mouth and stop sneering. You resemble my dear son too much when you do._

_Oh yes, Harry, Severus is my son. Not in blood, but always in spirit. He fought so hard for our side but finally found himself in a situation he could no longer solve. His Vow would kill him. He knew that the moment he was asked to make it. He decided, however, to make the most of his last days and made it anyway._

_He never told me. I found out about it from another of my spies. We had a huge row, as you can imagine. He would have died from that Vow without ever telling me what had happened! I could not let him. When I first started explaining to him what I wanted him to do he stormed out of my office and avoided me for a week. Eventually I dragged him up to my office and bound him to a chair. He had yelled himself hoarse after a mere hour or two and was forced to listen to me. _

_I told him, Harry, that he would have to fulfill his vow and kill me. That he had to return to the Dark Lord to protect Draco, and continue help you. I will not tell you any more of that day locked up in my office – it is up to him to share that with you, should he wish to do that. But be assured it took a great deal of convincing and a few blatant orders from my side to force him into this. I was, and still am, so very sorry that I have to put him through this. But my courage failed me; I could not bear to watch him die. I rather died myself. _

_I am sorry for the pain I caused you as well, Harry. But please, understand why I had to do this. You are strong, Harry, much stronger then you know, and I have faith in both you and Severus that you will succeed. _

_And always remember, death is but the next great adventure. We will see each other again some day, and go on some of those adventures together. For now, I wish you all the best._

_Albus Dumbledore._


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I can't believe the number of nice reviews I got! Thank you all! I know there was some repetition in the first two chapters, but like my teacher said when I learned to preach: if you wanna make people remember something, repeat it about ten times.

A/N Not an awful lot happens in this chapter. Sorry. Next one will be more…well, you'll see.

Honestly, I never thought the day would come when I would see all three of the Trio speechless. But, there they are. Hermione, however, wasn't really speechless, just busy tending to Severus. Who, I noticed, was clearly feeling better and sitting up a bit.

"Mr Longbottom," he croaked, "You said you would help me. I didn't expect you to hand me over to the Chosen One." Oh joy, he WAS feeling better. The sneering had returned. When will that man ever learn that hasn't worked on me since the couple of times he helped me train in sixth year? Probably never.

Harry stared at him. "Dumbledore wrote me this letter." Severus stiffened, eyes locking into Harry's. "And what do you plan to do now, Potter? I'm here, I'm defenseless. Go ahead, I'm sure you've been waiting for this moment ever since…since Albus died." His sneer broke and he had to stare at me, on the opposite side of the room from Harry, to prevent himself bursting into tears. Stubborn git. But I guess I wouldn't have wanted to cry had I been in his shoes either.

"Yeah," Ron piped up, "because you KILLED him!"

"Enough!" I yelled, seeing Severus on the verge of complete collapse. The memory and pain were too fresh. "Harry, either you believe and trust Dumbledore or you don't. If you don't, I warn you I will defend professor Snape at all costs, with my life if I have to. If you do, then this is not the time for pointless arguing, but we had better start making plans. Now…what will it be?"

Great. Now all four of them stared at me like I suddenly sprouted hair or over my face and joined professor Lupin on one of his moonlight strolls. Harry stared at the letter, then at Severus, then at Ron and Hermione and then at me. I waited patiently till he was done staring. "What did your letter say?" he asked Severus. Wrong question. Very wrong.

"Wasn't one dip into my privacy bad enough, Potter?" Severus sneered, "do you have to trespass on this too?"

"Well, Neville read it," Ron said. I closed my eyes and groaned, prepared for death.

But to my surprise, I heared Severus' voice answer,"What I do or do not share with Mr. Longbottom is none of your concern, Weasley. He had my permission to read it."

Harry woke up from his staring trance. "Dumbledore never lied. He kept things from me but he never lied." I couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. Harry looked at me. "Thanks, Neville, for keeping me from making a horrible mistake." I nodded. "Now, we can't stay here much longer. What are we going to do?" Severus laid back down on the cot. "I'm afraid I can't apparate, Neville." Well, if he's using my first name he must be REALLY weak. Harry sat in thought. Then Severus sighed. "We need to talk to Minerva and Albus," he said, "I'm sure they have loads of backup plans ready. They always do."

Harry snorted. "How were you going to speak to Dumbledore? He's dead, remember." Hermione smacked him upside the head. "HARRY! You insensitive prat."

Severus seemed to be slightly amused by this and didn't fall into the deadened, depressed expression he always got whenever Dumbledore was mentioned. "I meant, Potter," he said, in his most silky I-clearly-waste-my-time-trying-to-teaching-you-dunderheads-anything voice, "that Minerva by now has the Headmasters painting in her office. Now I realize you grew up with muggles, but perhaps over the past six years in the wizard world, you might have noticed the talking paintings?" Harry scowled.

"Fine. FINE! We'll go to Hogwarts. How did you plan on getting there, Neville?"

Did you just notice that? Someone asked my opinion. Asked me to formulate a plan. How cool is that? I nodded, having had three days to think through any possible scenario. "You three can apparate, obviously. I will travel there with professor Snape, as the Express is out, of course. My grandmother insisted I learned to drive a muggle car, in case of emergencies. Fortunately, she kept a lot of cash in the house, muggle and wizard. I eh, kinda stole a car to bring professor Snape here…it's not far away."

Ron looked impressed. "You stole a car and drove it here? Wicked!" Harry snickered and Hermione sent a very disapproving glance at her boyfriend.

"Well, a muggle car is safer then risking any magical means of transportation, and professor Snape is in no condition to go on broom. In the car, he'll be able to get some rest and be somewhat comfortable," I reasoned.

Harry's mouth became a tight line. "Ron and Hermione can apparate to Hogwarts, but I'm coming with you." Even though I had expected that, it still stung. But this was a war; I should be happy he wasn't too trusting, too soon.

"Oh Merlin help me," Severus said, allowing Hermione to put a damp, cool cloth on his forehead, "A journey through England in a very confined space with Potter and Longbottom. I must've died and gone to hell."

So that night we set out. Hermione gave me her medikit, saying she would be able to get another one at Hogwarts and Severus would probably need more fever potion. She urged me to be careful. She ORDERED Harry to be careful. Then she transfigured some bandages from the medikit into some usuable pillows and blankets. We waited till the dead of night before recovering the car and installing Severus on the back seat, head behind the passengers seat and feet behind the drivers', so I could see him over my shoulder to check on his health. Harry took the passengers seat next to me, and we drove off, seeing Ron and Hermione apparate from the rear view mirror.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Loads of reviews…I'm amazed! Thanks all! This chapter is a bit short, but the next will probably be a bit long to compensate.

Duj, eh, yeah sorry about that mistake…/ hangs head in shame / English is not my first language…But erm…were you volunteering to be my beta…? (grins)

Katharina: as to why the teens can't apparate with Severus…well first of all, YES, it would ruin my storyline! LOL The teens being too inexperienced to apparate with someone else wasn't my first reason. Apparition can be detected by the Ministry (how else would they know if people needed reassembling after splinching?) Although I'm sure there are ways around that, they are trying not to draw ANY attention to themselves whatsoever. Little do they know what a thoroughly evil author has in store for them…Don't you have the feeling that all authors have at least some Slytherin in them?

It was two hours later, when Harry initiated our first conversation after departure, that we discovered a slight oversight in my wonderful plan.

"Too bad this car doesn't fly," Harry said, smiling slightly at the memory of the start of his second year.

"Yeah, it's a real shame. At least you know where Hogwarts is, now," I said, grateful. It was a minute or so (I did have to keep my eyes on the road after all) before I noticed Harry's expression. "Erm…no…I don't exactly know where it is. By road, I mean. I do know the general direction…" We looked at each other and groaned.

"Well, let's just…drive in the general direction then," I said, waving my hand forward, "and we'll go from there. I'm sure professor Snape will know." Severus had been asleep since we left, exhausted from days of fever and coughing. The potions were working, thank Merlin.

Another hour later, a muggle police car (yep, Harry taught us the correct way to spell that) emerged from out of nowhere, and ordered us to pull over. Harry closed his eyes. "Oh, no, we have forgotten to change the license plate numbers," he moaned. I looked at him quizzically. "When a car is stolen, the owner reports the license plate number to the police so they can track it down," Harry explained. I paled as I slowly moved the car to the side of the road. "You'll have to obliviate them, then we'll say they pulled us over because they saw professor Snape. We'll tell them he's our father and he fell ill during our holiday. We're taking him to our grandmother now," I quickly made up a coverstory. Harry nodded and discreetly pulled out his wand.

"Gentlemen," the police officer said sternly, "You better have a good explanation for this. This car was reported stolen four days ago…" I heard Harry whisper the incantation and something shot by me. The man's eyes glazed over. "Officer? Are you alright?" I asked, politely. "Y-Yes, thank you. Bit dizzy. Now…I pulled you over because…" he tried to remember, "Because you saw our father in the back seat and wanted to know what was wrong," I supplied quickly. "Ah, yes. Can I see your driver's license?" I handed it to him, knowing perfectly well that everything was in order. It was a real one, after all.

"What happened to your father?" the man asked. "He fell ill while we were taking a short holiday. Bout of the flue, we suspect. He didn't want us to take him to the hospital. Stubborn, you know, when it comes to doctors. So we decided to wrap him up and take him to our grandmother." I kept my fingers crossed that Severus wouldn't wake up to ruin the whole thing. His referring to us as "Longbottom" and "Potter" would rouse the man's suspicion, obliviated or not. "Ah, yes, everything seems to be in order," the police officer commented, giving back the papers. "Do take good care of your father, boys. You two twins? You look about the same age." I nodded, surpressing a grin. "Yep. Not identical though, as you can see." Harry rolled his eyes at this. The man smirked and told us to be on our way. With a relieved sigh, we drove off. Harry took out his wand and murmured a few spells. "Changed the license plates," he said, "in case we run into more policemen." A soft chuckle came from the backseat. "Your father, Neville? Twins?" I grimaced. "Quiet you, you're supposed to rest. What else was I supposed to be telling him?" Then I looked at the dashboard. "We're running low on gas and I could do with a bit to eat as well. There's a gasstation about a mile down the road. We'll stop there for a few minutes." Harry looked relieved. "Good idea, I erm…need to use the loo as well…" Severus blushed slightly as he admitted, "so do I…"

Arriving at the gasstation, Harry took Severus to the toilets (after I quietly threatened to do something extremely unpleasant to him should he harm the still shaky potions master) and I proceeded to…what do muggles call that again? 'fill her up' I remembered from a muggle movie. It wasn't until I went inside to get some supplies and pay for the gas, that I noticed something was very, very wrong.

Two Death Eaters jumped from somewhere down the isles.

I saw some blasts coming from the toilets and three others dragged Harry and Severus out. Then I heard a sickening voice. A female voice. The voice of Bellatrix Lestrange.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N someone enlighten me…my spellchecker seems to be in doubt too…is it 'realise' or 'realize'?

I felt my insides freeze. "Awww the wittle baby is scawed," she taunted in her ridiculous little girl voice, the voice that has haunted my dreams ever since that night in the Department of Mysteries. Two wands were aimed at me. Harry and Severus were dragged in. "My, my, Severus," a voice taunted, "it seems Bella has been right about you all along. In a muggle car, on the road with Potter and Longbottom?"

As they taunted and kicked Severus, I took the opportunity to look at Harry and estimate our chances. "Neville," I suddenly heard Harry whisper. " My wand…I can accio it but you need to distract them."

There was only one Death Eater who was watching us now. We looked at each other.

"NOW!"

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS" the Death Eater watching us fell.

"ACCIO WAND" Harry yelled. It worked. The wand flew to his hand.

Harry dove behind an isle "ACCIO SNAPE" he bellowed, and Severus' battered and bruised body flew over to him, out of reach from the Death Eaters. I dove behind another aisle now that Severus and Harry were in position.

Lestranges spell rattled the shop and I was bombarded with the entire contents of the feminine products aisle. YUCK! I threw a box of something completely unmentionable at her, disgusted, and to my surprise it hit her square in the face, giving Harry time to stun her.

I saw one Death Eater trying to make his way around the aisle where Harry was hiding while the others were throwing hexes in his direction. I nearly felt insulted that none of them seemed overly concerned with getting me out of the way. "BINDUS!" I yelled, watching him fall, tangled in ropes. Harry looked around, saw what happened and nodded his thanks.

Harry threw a full body bind on the fourth Death Eater, but not in time to prevent the slicing hex, that was thrown his way, cutting his wand arm from wrist to shoulder. He didn't drop his wand but it was clear he couldn't lift his arm to aim. I was alone with Rastaban.

He advanced on them with a feral grin. "Potter, how I've been wanting to kill you," he said, "the Dark Lord will reward me most handsomely. And Snape…well, boy, be glad you won't have to suffer the awful death that is in store for that traitor."

You know, I've never understood the need to gloat. In Defense, we were always told to be quick, not let yourself be distracted and not stop fighting until you know the battle is over. Apparently Rastaban hadn't been paying attention in that particular class. Not that I'm complaining; it gave me just enough time…

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Rastaban shouted, just as I apparated in front of Harry and Severus and yelled "REFLECTO!"

It was only when Rastaban dropped to the floor, dead, that I realized what I had done. But I didn't have long to reflect on that…no pun intended, I swear!

Harry was bleeding badly. I cast a healing spell and the bleeding stopped, but the wound didn't close completely. A potion from the car would have to finish the job. Severus opened his eyes slightly, clearly in pain. "We're…not dead," he said. We grinned, finally realizing we had won.

"Harry…" I said. He nodded. "We need to bind them and send a signal for the Ministry, but only seconds before we leave ourselves. We don't want to run into them any more then we do the Death Eaters." Soon all surviving Death Eaters were bound and gagged. Only one was actually conscious but that could be remedied. I stared at Bellatrix. Now was my chance…no one would know and Harry certainly wouldn't tell…I looked at him and saw him clutching his wand as well, clearly entertaining the exact same thoughts.

My mum and dad. Harry's godfather. I hate her. She didn't deserve to live. Why would it be wrong to use the Killing Curse on people like her? Then I heard the voice of professor Lupin in my head, something he had quoted to me a while ago when I told him Bellatrix deserved to die. "Many that live deserve to die. And many that die, deserve to live. Can you give it to them?" Something like that. I don't remember the book. I just remember I got angry at him.

"Neville," I heard. Severus had opened his eyes and was looking at us. "Harry. Boys…I understand. I wouldn't blame you. But she is bound and defenseless. Think. Would your parents approve of what you are about to do now? Slay an already defeated opponent?" His voice was uncommonly kind for him. Also rather weak. "He is right," Harry mumbled, "As much as I want to do it, he is right." I nodded.

"Let's get supplies and take professor Snape to the car. Where's the shop owner?" Harry glanced behind the counter. "Dead."

We grabbed whatever we needed, trying not to feel like looters, and together we carried Severus to the car. Taking another jerrycan of gasoline, we raced off, only waiting long enough to send distress sparks in the air for the ministry.

Harry cursed as he looked at his arm. He went through the medikit and found a bottle of potion. Rubbing it on the cut, he watched the skin mend. "Better." Then he took a few sips of bloodreplenishing potion. Looking over his shoulder, he bit his lip. "Neville, we will need to stop soon to look after Severus." I nodded, too tense to notice the name change. It hit me a few minutes later. "Did you just call him…" Harry's fists tightened. "In that bathroom…Rastaban threw the killing curse before his companion could prevent it, saying the Dark Lord had always ordered to capture me alive. He jerked me out of the way of the spell and wandlessly threw a couple of hexes. He was too weak to do much damage, but I would have been dead if it weren't for him. That's how they knew he is a spy."

We drove on for about another hour, then I pulled over at a motel. It was dawn, anyway. We decided it was best to take a room for two days, rest the entire day and leave again by midnight. We cast a glamourie charm on Severus, hiding the bruises on his face, and explained to the girl at the reception that he had driven all night and needed a break. She smiled at us – she was about 17 and quite pretty, I must say, - and gave us the key to a room. Entering, we found three beds in a large room. There was a dining table and a bathroom with bath. Putting Severus down on one, we looked at each other, hesitating. "For Merlins sake," Severus opened his eyes slightly in an attempt to sneer, "Neither of us likes it, but you will have to help me clean up. I'm not your professor anymore, I can't deduct points or give detentions, remember?" I grinned, and set to work, soon assisted by Harry. It wasn't as bad as we feared, though the bruises were substantial. Some ointment from the medikit took care of that. No bones appeared to be broken, but the fever had set in again. Another fever potion, and then we tucked blankets around him to sleep.

Harry removed his robe. "Good thing they're black," he said, "or everyone would have noticed the blood." His entire sleeve was soaked in blood. "Fortunately Mrs Weasley taught me a few cleaning spells." He cleaned his robe and fell on another bed. Putting several charms on the doors and windows as protection, I quickly showered, dragged myself to the bed next to Harry's and fell asleep.

That's all for now! Of course I could hardly let them die after only five chapters, right? Anyway, don't worry, all roads eventually lead to Hogwarts!

Oh, and Lupins quote is from LOTR, of course.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N

Duj: thanks for your many welcome suggestions. I've adapted the previous chapter accordingly. The quote from LOTR wasn't exact, but I did that on purpose.

Oh, and you and Jilly Rose are absolutely right of course, a reflecto would not stop an avada kedavra, but bear with me for the moment, k? It'll all be explained later.

I slept fitfully, waking often. Harry and Severus were completely out. At noon I snuck down to the lobby to see if there was something decent to eat for lunch. There was a small shop in the lobby I hadn't noticed when we first came in. Was probably closed then, anyway. I bought a paper and a roadmap.

Back up in the room I scanned the paper for any news on the gasstation, but it wasn't in yet. Oh well, I would have been none the wiser if there had, the ministry would have covered it up anyway. Then I took my time studying the map. We had to go north, obviously. Our progress, despite the delay at the gasstation, hadn't been that bad. I estimated that if we drove off that evening, we could be near Hogwarts before dawn.

A noise caught my attention. Looking up, I saw Severus opening his eyes. "Mr Longbottom," he said, "it would appear I was not dreaming. We are really travelling towards Hogwarts in a muggle car?" I nodded. "And there really were…I mean…" I nodded again. He narrowed his eyes. "Rastaban…he cast…" I began to feel slightly stupid, nodding constantly. "How come we're not all dead, then?" he asked, impatient. I shrugged. It made a nice chance from nodding. "I don't know. I apparated in front of you and cast a reflecto, albeit forcefully. It shouldn't have worked, but it did. I think we both have an inkling as to why."

Severus stared at me. "You never cease to amaze me, Mr Longbottom." He looked thoroughly disgusted with himself for letting this compliment slip. He tried to sit up. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Walking over, I pushed him back down on the bed and checked for a fever. None. Potion was still working. "I was planning a route, and wondering how on earth we were going to find Hogwarts, as neither Harry nor me know how to get there by car…one that's not flying, at least. How are the bruises? Are you in pain? Hermione keeps a good stock of painpotions in that kit…"

"No, no, that won't be necessary. And I do know how to get to Hogwarts. Show me the map." I had a fleeting flashback to the potions classroom. We went over the map together, and I felt a lot happier knowing where to go precisely. I stuffed the refolded map into my pocket.

"Tell me, how DID you and mr Potter manage to overpower five Death Eaters? Bellatrix Lestrange specifically?" I blushed. He raised an eyebrow and waited. "I threw a packet of tampons in her face," I whispered, "that distracted her so Harry could stun her." For an agonizing ten seconds, Severus just gaped. Then he burst out laughing, which in turn caused him to cough violently. He curled around my arm as I helped him sit up, patting his back. Harry woke up confused. "Give me the cough potion, Harry," I said, as Severus gasped and struggled to catch his breath. "Oh Merlin, that is priceless," he said, "If only that could make the Daily Prophet…" I held the vial to his lips and forced him to drink. Harry had gotten a damp towel from the bathroom and wiped Severus' face. "We should sleep some more, Neville," he said, "If the rest of our trip is gonna be as eventful as last night, we better be well rested."

We left as soon as the sun went down. The girl was sitting at the reception again. As we walked to the car I cursed myself for not having asked her number, and promised myself I'd go back here for a very long holiday once the war was over.

Harry passed a few chocolate frogs he still had in his pockets. "Paracelcus, again. Must have dozens of him. Which one do you have, Neville?" I had decided chocolate frogs and driving don't mix. "You open mine." Harry ripped it open. "Saladin. If you have that one already, can I keep it?" I nodded. "Who do you have, professor?" Harry asked.

Severus' hand shook as he held the card. "D..Dumbledore," he said softly, staring at the picture of the late headmaster. A tear trickled down his cheek. "Oh Merlin, I miss him so much…"

He totally shut down after that. The rest of the night we drove without a word. An hour before dawn we stopped for some necessary…sanitary matters, and to have a bit of a stretch, not to mention some food. I filled up the gastank with the jerrycan. "That should last us till Hogwarts," I said, "Assuming it isn't far now." Severus looked up. "No. Nearly there."

With Severus' directions we arrived at the Hogwarts grounds safely, taking a detour to avoid Hagrids hut. We weren't sure, even though Ron and Hermione had arrived two days ago to explain matters, that Hagrid wouldn't kill Severus on sight. We stopped near Dumbledores grave by the lake. Severus carefully got out of the car and took a few hesitating steps towards the monument. Then he turned away. Professor McGonagall suddenly rushed towards us. "There you are! We've been worried sick, we expected you yesterday and those Death Eaters at the gasstation…" She stopped to take a breath and compose herself. Then she looked at Severus, who tried very hard, if unsuccessfully, to meet her eyes. She stepped towards him and gently touched the bruises on his face. "Oh, you poor boy," she said softly, "Come on, let's go take care of you, shall we?"

To our surprise, Severus let himself be taken to the castle by McGonagall without comment. Harry looked at me quizzically. I shrugged. "The chocolate frog card and the grave. Gave him quite a shock, I imagine. He's not in very good shape anyway." We reached the entrance hall and were immediately overrun by Hermione and Ron. "Where WERE you?" they yelled, "We were so worried!" McGonagall, holding Severus by his elbow to steady him, called us from the stairs. "Hurry up, you four. Explanations can wait until we are in the office, at least." Follwing her, we waited for the gargoyle to move and entered.

"Ah, there you are," a familiar voice said, "Good to see you." Albus Dumbledore beamed at us from the enchanted canvas of his painting over the fireplace.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N Thanks once more for the kind reviews. I was a bit surprised though at people's eh…surprise at the friendly reception. Obviously the portrait could tell the true story, plus Ron and Hermione had appeared two days earlier, with the tale of what happened in Neville's hiding place.

Severus turned around and didn't move. Harry stared at the painting. "H-Headmaster?" he asked. The painting chuckled. "Well, you know how it is with this painting business, Harry. It's really like a memory of me. But, close enough to the real me to be of assistance. How's your search going?"

For a moment, Harry didn't react. "Wha…? Oh, the search. Well, we found out where the fifth Horcrux is. We need to do some research before we move in to destroy it. We think the sixth Horcrux must be something connected to Slytherin, but I have no idea yet what it could be." The painting sighed. "Well, you came to the right place for research. I suspect the Headmistress will be more then happy to accommodate you." McGonagall smiled. "Certainly, headmaster. Since the school is empty still, they'll have the whole library to themselves, restricted section included. Hermione has already been doing some reading there."

The portrait nodded. "Well, you better get on with it then. Let me know what you find. And if you don't mind, I need to talk to Severus now." The four of us were about to leave the office when a thick voice said, "Mr. Longbottom can stay." It took a moment before we realized it was Severus who had spoken. I hesitated, but upon receiving an encouraging nod from McGonagall, I walked back into the room. The trio cast a few questioning glances over their shoulders, but I merely shrugged.

"Severus," the portrait called, but the man stayed put. I could see his shoulders shaking slightly. "Severus, will you please turn around and face me," the portrait said, sternly now. Slowly, he turned around and walked up to the fireplace, eyes still firmly fixed on the floor. "Look at me," the portrait ordered in a voice anyone would have obeyed in an instant. Severus was no exception. Satisfied, the portraits stern facade fell and he smiled warmly. "Hello, my dear child," Dumbledore said, "It's so good to see you again. Not entirely in one piece, though…" he sounded slightly worried now.

"Neville took good care of me," Severus mumbled. Then he looked up into the headmasters' eyes completely. "Father…" he nearly choked on the tears. The painted Dumbledore held up a hand. "Child, you did what I asked. If you dare apologize I will scold you even from this canvas." A slight sarcastic snort came from the former professor. "I could just walk away, you know," he sneered. The painting laughed. "Yes. Now explain to me why Neville is here when you know what I want to discuss with you."

I felt my face burn. I was in such trouble if Severus told them what I did. I didn't want to be told off by a painted Dumbledore, let alone a very much alive McGonagall. But Severus merely said, "I told him. We were locked up together for three days while he took care of me. We didn't ignore each other completely." The painting smiled happily. "I'm glad. Minerva and I are quite…tied up, so we can't help you much outside this castle. Am I to understand, Mr. Longbottom, that you are willing to help Severus?" I nodded, determined. "Absolutely, Headmaster." Severus raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You are? I didn't think…" he trailed off. Showing him I did learn something from him, I sneered sarcastically, "Sure, I haul you from my backyard, nurse you and drive you all the way through England fighting off Death Eaters in the process, because I have no intention at all of helping you. Don't be stupid." The headmaster chuckled, and even Severus sported a small smile, but I honestly thought McGonagall would faint. She weakly collapsed into a chair, staring at all three of us, speechless. Erm, maybe I've changed more then I've realized.

Severus continued, oblivious to the Headmistress' confusion – or just purposely ignoring it, it's hard to tell with him. "Well, I do appreciate that, but I don't think anyone can really help. There aren't an awful lot of options, father." The twinkle had disappeared completely from Dumbledore's eyes. "There is some time still, and I insist you do not give up yet."

McGonagall recovered enough to interrupt. "Albus, will you please tell me what is going on?" Severus turned to the painting. "You didn't tell her yet?" He frowned. "Minerva…Albus and I did extensive research on the Horcruxes. I helped with the destruction of the ring. We know all the Horcruxes now, and I'm sure Hermione will find a way to destroy them. And Harry is foolhardy enough to actually do it."

McGonagall stared at us. "But, Harry said he didn't know what the sixth Horcrux is…" The portrait looked at here with a very serious expression. "We didn't want to risk telling him yet. There was no way of knowing what he'd do. Let him go after the fifth first. Meanwhile we need to find a solution…"

"For what?" the headmistress wanted to know. I closed my eyes. Although I had known it for days now, I really didn't want to hear the answer to her question. It would make it so definitive.

"Minerva," Severus said, gentler then I've ever heard him, "I am the sixth Horcrux."

It was then that McGonagall really did faint.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N **Author logs in happily, only to be confronted by a mailroom full of review alerts from shocked readers.** Ah. Yes. Well. I read your reviews and apparently I did a…what you call an 'evil cliffy' right? **Author tries to scurry away from said shocked readers** Well, you see…I may have kinda scared you, eh? Is there anything I can give you as a peace offering? I could…I dunno…write in a catfight between Hermione and Minerva or sumthing…just lemme know…please don't flame me…**Author runs and hides**

Severus covered his eyes with his hand for a moment. I managed to catch the Headmistress before she slid out of the chair. "Ennervate!" I said, pointing my wand at her. She weakly opened her eyes. "Oh Merlin, it wasn't a dream I just had?" she asked, seeing the two of us and the portrait stare at her in concern.

"Sorry professor." She took my hand to steady herself. "Severus? ALBUS? Please, tell me you were joking so I can yell at Albus, inflict serious physical damage on Severus, and then we can get back to business…"

Albus shook his head. "I'm sorry Minerva, but I'm afraid it's true. We found out just after Voldemorts' return that Severus is the sixth Horcrux. We've searched for both the other five and a solution that would remove Voldemort's piece of soul from Severus without killing him. The first we accomplished…"

McGonagall, still shaky, turned to Severus, and suddenly threw her arms around him, crying. The expression on his face was priceless. He was totally gobsmacked. Awkwardly patting her on the back, he pleaded "Minerva, it's ok…please, let go, you're hurting me." She did let go, but framed his face with both hands. "Oh, my poor child, and you've known about this for over two years already? Why didn't you tell me?" She suddenly looked at me. "And how come Mr Longbottom knows about this?"

I could feel the blood drain from my face. Merlin, I was supposed to become a powerful and fearless wizard, and now I'm nearly soiling myself at the prospect of having to confess invading someone's privacy to these three VERY formidable people. Well, these two, I should say; technically Dumbledore's painting didn't count. "I eh…" I started, "I read the letter the Headmaster wrote to Professor Snape…" Former Headmaster and current Headmistress stared at me. "Mr. Longbottom!" McGonagall began. "Don't, Minerva," Severus said, sitting down on the couch wearily, "It was only logical when he found me practically in his backyard, that he searched me before taking me in. He still believed me to be a traitor, after all…"

I nodded. "I'm sorry, professor. I haven't apologized yet for reading your letter, but I am sorry. I had to know, I had to have some proof you weren't a traitor and murderer." He snorted again. "I still am a murderer, Mr Longbottom…Neville." A very firm voice came from the portrait. "No, you are not. There is a difference, child, between killing and murdering. It's a very fine line, I know, but it is there. You can kill without committing murder. When Harry defeats Tom, he will be killing, but no one will call him a murderer. And by that definition, you are my killer, but not my murderer." The portrait paused, and looked down on the tired man on the couch with such love in his eyes as I have rarely seen. "Most of all, you are my son, Severus. I wished a long and happy life for you once this war is over, and I will not give up that wish without a fight." Severus stilled. The dark hair hung in front of his face like a curtain and he sighed softly. "I'll try, father. You are right, there is a little time still. And now I have help at least."

Quite honestly, I was horrified at the thought of being the one person who could help Severus the most. I HAD improved greatly this past year, no doubt about it, but I was no Harry, who can battle Voldemort time and time again, or Hermione, with her quick mind and talent for research.

"How did you become a Horcrux, Severus?" McGonagall asked next, settling her younger colleague on the couch and getting out some more potions and ointments. Severus sighed. "I suspect sometime during the first war, before I became a spy. There are these rituals…" he closed his eyes, seemingly finding it easier to talk without seeing any of us. "Rituals he does sometimes with his followers, for various reasons. They are…quite unpleasant. They are also considered a great honor. And apart from that, he would kill anyone who refused. I don't remember the exact ritual in which I became a Horcrux, as I was unconscious during most, but I recall one where he had brought in a muggle. He never did that, rituals were always between himself and the victim. I suppose he killed the muggle and performed the spells."

He winced as the Headmistress treated a particularly nasty bruise near his temple. "Sorry Severus. It doesn't make sense though, that he still tortured you after that. It seems silly to me to endanger you." Severus nodded. "That is why I am still alive. He did torture me, yes, but never so much I couldn't recover. He didn't know, still doesn't know, that I am aware that I am one of his Horcruxes. That is why he doesn't often send me on dangerous missions and lets me stay at Hogwarts. As long as I am safe, he is safe."

"Yes," the portrait said, "and that is one of the reasons he didn't tell me he had made an Unbreakable Vow." Severus shrugged. "It made sense to me, since I will most likely die, must die, in fact, that I should not fulfill it. But of course, you had to disagree." The portrait smiled amiably, if a bit sadly. "Of course, child. You are not yet 40 years old. There is a chance, however slim, that we might destroy the Horcrux without killing you in the process. That is more of a chance then I had." Severus propped himself up on his elbows, his face angry. "BUT I LOVE YOU, YOU JERK!" he screamed. "And you ordered me to kill you," he ended, softer. The portrait sighed. "And I hope that you will be able to forgive both me and yourself for that, child. But for now, we need to make plans. Neville can stay here, and research while the school is still closed. We will provide him with an invisibility cloak. I suppose you need to return to Spinner's End, Severus. Minerva, dear, there is a hidden compartment in my desk that holds two pendants, one obsidian, one lapis. These are portkeys, keyed to one another. They will allow you to travel to each other quickly if needs be."

We nodded, and donned the necklaces. Severus was clearly feeling better as we walked out of the office. I cleared my throat. "Sir…sir I really am sorry for what I did, reading your letter I mean."

He stopped and stared at me. "I always thought there was more to you then you let on in your first years in school," he said, "or I wouldn't have tried so hard to force it out of you. Had you not searched me and read that letter, I would have been sorely disappointed in your lack of common sense. Should you ever tell anyone about its contents, however…" his expression became menacing once again, returning him to the evil git of a Potions Master we all know and lo…eh, fear.

I grinned. One or two years ago he would've petrified me on the spot with that look.

He sighed. "I'm loosing my touch, aren't I?"

I shrugged. "It seems we're allies now, so you might as well spare yourself the trouble of your evil git routine. I'm gonna be in the library. Be sure to summon me if anything is wrong."

A/N AARGGGHHHHHHHH! Now I know the downside of evil cliffy's: the next chapter. Sorry, there's a lot of talking going on in this one, and it's been fighting me tooth and nail for two days straight. I promise it'll get better though!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N I'm very happy no one took me up on my offer to write in a catfight between Minerva and Hermione. I could have done that, but since the entire story has already been written in my mind from the very first chapter to the last, I would have had to make some room. Oh yeah, I actually know where I'm going with this story. Quite a relief, right? ;-)

Excessivelyperky: I will try to keep your nitpick in mind. I wouldn't want you to loose track, of course!

Harry, Ron and Hermione stayed for three more days. Then they felt they were prepared enough to go after the fifth Horcrux. I stayed, burrowing myself in books. Dumbledore explained to me that the lapis pendant I now wore could do two things: I could use it as a portkey directly to Severus, or I could use it to summon him to me. Well, summon…I could call him. He could do the same.

Finally, just as I thought there was nothing to be found in the library, I stumbled upon something. As I pulled a book from a shelf in the restricted section, I saw a button behind it. I wondered if I should go and ask the headmaster about it, but I'm afraid my common sense abandoned me for just a minute. I pressed it. The ground under my feet suddenly moved…downwards. Before I had recovered from my fright, I was in too deep to climb unto safer ground. It took forever for the elevator kind of device to stop. I stepped off and looked around.

From what Harry had told me about the chamber of secrets, I knew I must be in some place near to that. But it didn't look like the chamber of secrets at all. It was brightly lit, for one. Secondly, there wasn't a serpent in sight. In fact…I saw eagles. Apparently Slytherin wasn't the only one who had built a secret chamber. As I saw the endless rows of books, I realised this was Rowena Ravenclaws private library.

"You are the first in decades to enter here."

Oh Merlin. I thought my heart stopped on the spot when I heard the voice. I turned around, and saw the Grey Lady.

"Only two others have ever entered this library, child," the ghost said, "the button reveals itself only to those in urgent need of knowledge."

I was reminded forcefully of the Room of Requirement.

"Yes, that room is connected to this one," the Grey Lady continued, "But if you seek knowledge, this is the place to find it. What are you looking for, young man?"

I swallowed. "I need information on the Horcruxes, particularly how to destroy a Horcrux that is human, without killing the person in question." The Grey Lady closed her eyes.

"Severus Snape." She said. I nodded.

"There is information about that in here, for sure, young wizard." Three books flew towards me.

"Why have you not helped Severus himself with this, Lady?" I asked.

The ghost sighed. "I can only help those who come in here. Severus did not have the desire for the knowledge you seek. You wish to save him. He wished only to save the rest of the world, and cared not what would become of him personally. Hence, he never found this room."

"Why couldn't the Dark Lord have chosen someone else for this Horcrux business," I mumbled, as I picked up one of the books. It opened in my hands and turned to page 394.

I began to read.

'….Humans can be vessels for Horcruxes as well, however, suitable humans for this are hard to find. It requires strength of character to even survive the ritual, a cunning and intelligent mind, or the Horcrux will be destroyed prematurely. Although in this case, the soulshard would return to the owner, it would be a waste of time and effort. The human in question must also have a strong sense of self-preservation. Humans prone to loose themselves in obsessions or other indulgences are less then adequate hosts…"

"Well, that explains why he didn't choose Bellatrix or one of the other Death Eaters. The only one that fits this description besides Severus is Lucius, and I doubt anyone would want a soulshard in _him. _Too much of a threat to a Dark Lord, I imagine."

Ghostly laughter behind me made me remember I was not alone.

"Very true, young human."

I picked up the other book, a bit embarrassed. This one dealt with dark creatures. I searched for 'Horcrux' and it opened on the page dealing with Inferi.

'Two kinds of Inferi exist, though none are natural. Lesser Inferi are corpses that have been animated. They are truly undead; they are driven by the will of their master, and have no mind or soul of their own. They are commonly created by those who master the Dark Arts.

Greater Inferi are extremely rare. Only three have been rumored to exist in the course of history.

In Egypt, the man who was once the genius Imhotep was rumored to have turned into a Greater Inferius after his death. He laid ruin to the land for many years until the Five Great Wizards of Alexandria managed to destroy him.

The second Greater Inferius was reported to be Yax Kuk Mo. He was destroyed by Raven, a native American Wizard who locked him in a tomb by extremely strong wards and collapsed it on top of him.

The origins of the third are unknown. He was destroyed by Merlin, although this might be a myth. Merlin himself was never sure if the being he destroyed was in fact a Greater Inferius.

Greater Inferi are created in one way only. When a Dark Wizard unwittingly performs the ritual to create a Horcrux on a human being, he creates a potential Greater Inferius. Should the human be killed after the ritual is completed and the Horcrux created, the soulshard remains in the corpse. The Greater Inferi are uncontrollable. They follow orders from no one. The character of the corpse in life is irrelevant; Greater Inferi are always dark and evil, but have no mercy on fellow dark creatures either. This is perhaps the thing a human can fear even more then death; this perverted undead life…'

I closed the book in horror. "Severus! If Severus kills himself, or lets himself be killed, he will become…"

"A Greater Inferius," the grey lady said.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N Are you all extremely angry with me now?

I'm sorry it took me longer then normal to update a chapter, but a few friends of mine fell ill and I had to go take care of their children. Small children don't allow much time for writing, I soon discovered.

ForeverUsed…what on earth do you mean by 'total hotness'….?

I panicked. I dropped the book on my toes, but didn't even feel the pain.

"SEVERUS!" I reached for the pendant and called him.

No response.

"SEVERUS! SEVERUS!"

Still no response.

"He could be in a meeting," the Grey Lady said.

I turned and stared at her. "Do you, like, know EVERYTHING?" I asked.

She smiled. "Not everything, young one. But there are few things in this castle I do not notice. Don't worry, little of what I know ever passes my lips. I also know when to be silent. Nevertheless, he could be in a meeting and unable to answer your call."

"Bloody hell. He'll get himself killed one of these days…" As the words escaped my lips I realised what they meant, in the light of what I had just found out.

The Grey Lady looked at me with concern in her eyes. "It is still little more then a myth, young one. Three occurrences, surrounded by folklore, in the entire history of the world…"

I shot her a glare that would have made Severus proud. After I found him and flayed him, I would have to tell him about it. Maybe he had some hints on how to improve it.

"You know as well as I do that Rowena Ravenclaw wouldn't have kept a book in her library that can't discern between truth and common myths. And even if it IS a myth, do you want to run the risk? I don't know if Greater Inferi are a danger to ghosts, but still…"

She frowned a bit. "Do you plan to portkey to him just like that? End up in the middle of a group of Death Eaters? In front of Voldemort himself, possibly?"

I growled. "Of course not."

Putting on the invisibility cloak McGonagall had given me, and casting several charms on myself, I clutched my wand firmly in my hand.

Then I took hold of the pendant and disappeared.

The first thing I saw was not Severus, but Harry, Ron and Hermione battling a very large and very aggressive Hungarian Horntail.

It took me a few moments to recover. Why on earth was I with the Trio? A very endangered Trio, at that. Harry had done wonderful at the Triwizard Tournament with getting passed one of those dragons, but he hadn't had to defeat it and he had been on his Firebolt. This one was big, mean, and extremely pissed off. Ron was at it's side, trying to stay away from it's tail as he threw Stupifies at it. Hermione was doing the same, from the other side. Harry stood in front of it, clutching something in his left hand while trying to Stupefy the beast with the right. Having to use both hands made him slower, but I had to admire the job they were doing; keeping the dragon confused as to which one to attack first.

Just as I had recovered from my stupor and was about to join them, the Horntail threw her flames at Harry, who wasn't quick enough. Everything happened in a flash of a second then. A dark figure launched itself at Harry, pushing him out of the way and throwing himself in the path of the flame. I barely had time to realise it was Severus before I flung myself at him, rolling us both out of the way. The fire washed over me and I felt my arm and side being touched by it. There was surprisingly little pain, which worried me.

Harry shouted. "All five stupify at once! ONE….TWO…THREE…STUPIFY!"

The combined force of our spells was enough. The dragon fell. I could hear nothing but our panting for a moment, before Severus turned on me.

"Mr Longbottom, you idiotic, brainless, foolish Gryffindor!"

My arm started to really hurt now.

"You would have gotten yourself killed," I said weakly, "You can't do that. My research…I found…need to tell you…"

I could see the Trio cast a spell on the object Harry had been holding. A surge of light momentarily blinded us, then the object was gone. The fifth Horcrux had been destroyed.

That left only Severus.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N You know, I've been thinking about the question if Voldemort would possess Severus like he did Quirrell should he be killed before Severus. I think not, because a Horcrux is created when the soul SPLITS, at the moment the person kills someone. Under normal circumstances, this bit of soul would simply leave. The Horcrux apparently anchors the remaining soul to this world, because Voldemort didn't use a piece of soul in one of his Horcruxes when he was defeated the first time, he simply lived on as a disembodied…thingy. All his Horcruxes survived, or there would have been only five left by the time Harry encountered the first one, the diary. Unless, of course, in book 7 we find out that one of the Horcruxes has no bit of soul left in it. In a way, Horcruxes are not a new thing in fantasy, as I have encountered the use of a Focus before. A Horcrux seems to operate in much the same way.

Have mercy on me. After taking care of my friends, I caught their virus. I'm writing this wrapped up in thick sweaters and praying that my dinner will stay down.

Severus, though still scowling, sat down next to me with Hermione's long replenished medikit. He took out a small container of burn paste and started treating me with it.

I grabbed his wrist.

"I need to tell you... you need to come to Hogwarts with me…vital…"

I couldn't manage to say more and became extremely frustrated.

"Calm yourself, Neville, it won't do any good. I take it you found something?"

I nodded. Then I saw something that nearly made my blood freeze. (Which, incidentally, wouldn't have been so bad. The burns really hurt now and icy blood might've relieved it.)

Harry was holding a piece of paper I knew all too well.

Dumbledore's letter to Severus.

It must have fallen out of his pocket during the fight. I saw the emotions pass on Harry's face, from utter unbelief to horror and then to calm determination.

He walked over to us, his wand still in his hand. I batted Severus' hands away and forced him behind me, ignoring the pain that surged through my body. I raised my own wand.

"No, Harry, you can't. I won't let you, you don't know how dangerous it is."

Severus stiffened when he saw the letter in Harry's hand and I felt him search his pockets to confirm it really was his. Then he pushed me away.

"I'm sure you've wanted to do this for years, Mr. Potter. Now you even have an excellent excuse for it. You'll be a hero, I don't doubt. Go ahead."

I was going to kill him. I. Was. Bloody. Going. To. Kill. Him. Well, not literally obviously, but still…

"Severus!" I yelled sharply, and put myself between him and Harry again.

"You can't do it, Harry, please, listen to me first, there's things you don't know…"

I ran out of breath trying to explain.

"Mr. Longbottom, be quiet, I…"

"SHUT UP!" Harry suddenly roared.

Harry looked at us, panting. He lowered his wand and handed the letter to Severus.

"You should be more careful where you keep that," he chided gently. The tone of his voice surprised me.

"Of course I don't want to kill you. And Neville seems to have issues with that too. Apart from that, the dragon will be waking up soon. I'd say we all go back to Hogwarts, we can discuss our options there."

Severus opened his mouth to protest and I knew what he was going to say. So did Harry.

"Don't bother saying our only option is to kill you, because clearly the headmaster had other hopes. And even if he didn't, I would try to find one. Now shut up and bring Neville to Hogwarts."

Severus was so totally taken aback that he obeyed. I looked at him wearily as he helped me up.

"As soon as I am well again, I'm gonna give you a good kick in the butt," I promised him before passing out.

The next day, we found ourselves sitting in the headmistress' office. Ron and Hermione were sitting at the desk, stunned by what they had heard. I had just related the tale of my trip to Ravenclaw's library and what I had found out there. Severus, who had been shooting daggers at me ever since our return, had turned ashen when he realized the danger he had been in the previous night. To be honest, the rest of the party looked rather pale, too.

Finally, Hermione spoke. "Are there more books on this in that library, Neville?"

I nodded. "Yes, I didn't get through all the books before I read about the Inferi and had to collect Severus before he did something stupid…" I shot him a glare, which he promptly returned.

"It's not fair, Minerva," he scowled, "I can't deduct points anymore, or hand out detentions."

The headmistress, who had been discreetly wiping away a tear, smiled a bit at this comment. "They're adults now, Severus. Adults who care about you. Just accept that and be your own charming self."

Harry looked thoughtful. "I think we better all tackle that library to see if we can find any way to destroy the Horcrux without killing Severus. Neville, can you take us there?"

I nodded. "Yes, just go to the library, we'll be along in a minute."

I turned to Severus. "I promised you something earlier."

He raised his chin defiantly. "I know, I'm sorry, it was stupid of me but I saw Harry and…"

I cut his rant short. "That's not what I meant. The Grey Lady said you were so busy searching for ways to destroy Voldemort, that you never bothered to look for ways to save yourself in the process, and that's why you never found Ravenclaw's library. If you had you would have known the risks of getting yourself killed."

I got up from the couch. Minerva watched me with some anxiety, afraid I would get hexed. "You never learn, do you?" I hissed at him. "You just can't get it into that thick skull of yours that there are people here that care about you and want you to live. I'm NOT your student anymore, Severus! I'm one of those adults that care about you now. The sooner you realize that, the better."

Minerva smiled. "He is right, Severus. I'd recommend that you stay here now. We need to keep you close at all times."

Severus shrugged. "Voldemort won't kill me, even if he does find out I'm a spy. He wouldn't just kill his last Horcrux."

I let out a longsuffering sigh. "No, but he could lock you away in some impossible to find place and then it won't matter if we know how to destroy the Horcrux, because we wouldn't be able to find you. We'd reach a draw, and that's not what we're aiming for."

Another shrug, but I could tell he saw the truth of that statement.

"I'll just go inspect the potions lab then. It could well be that the solution might involve potions." He swept out of the room before we could say anything else.

Minerva sat down. "Honestly…for someone so intelligent he can be incredibly dimwitted at times."

I stood up to follow the others to the library. "Yes. Right now, our greatest problem is not Voldemort and the Horcrux or the Order that still wants to kill Severus. Our greatest problem right now is getting Severus interested in living."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N I fully admit to being emotionally unbalanced as I wrote this chapter. Those of you who own pets will understand; I lost my three year old cat today after four days of increasingly severe epileptic attacks.

As I entered the library, four anxious people were waiting for me. Apparently, Severus had been curious enough to join the Trio. I pressed the button and down we went.

Hermione must've thought she was in paradise. She literally squealed in delight and ran towards the books. All four of us snorted in laughter as the Grey Lady suddenly materialised and Hermione ran straight through her, gasping and holding on to the bookcase as if she had run straight through a bath of icewater.

"Oops, sorry dear girl," the ghost said, smiling slightly, "you were rather anxious in getting to the books, weren't you?"

Hermione blushed. "I like to do research and this is of the utmost importance."

The Grey Lady nodded. "Indeed, destroying the last Horcrux will free the path to finally defeating Voldemort."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "True, but that's not what I had in mind. I was thinking more of keeping professor Snape safe."

Severus stirred uneasily besides me. I just hid a smirk. It would be uncomfortable, but very healthy for him to hear comments like these more often.

I picked up the books I had dropped the day before and showed them to Hermione. She read and nodded.

"Yes, you were right. Muggle history knows these Greater Inferi too, although only in their human form. Now, we need to focus on some method of removing the soulshard without killing the host…"

About a dozen books flew our way. We managed to dodge them just in time as they piled themselves on the table.

"This library is dangerous," Ron said.

Hermione scowled. "Shut up and start researching."

Three hours later, our search hadn't yielded any results. There were various spells that would remove the soulshard from an object; the Trio had used a number of these to get rid of the other Horcruxes. But none of those were suitable for use on a human Horcrux. It would not remove the soulshard at the best of times. Worst case scenario was of course, killing the person and creating the Greater Inferi. Seeing Severus go greenish as he read the entries on these beings, I decided a lunch break was in order and called for Dobby.

"Yes Sirs and Miss? Will you be needing lunch down here?" the overexcited house elf asked.

"If you could bring some here, yes, please, Dobby," I said, stretching my arms over my head, "that'd be great, thank you."

Dobby disappeared and I yawned. "Lunch break, folks," I called to the others, who were busy studying in various parts of the library. I stacked the books away and cleared the large table in the centre of the room.

Ron rushed over immediately, ready for a break. Severus was sitting in a lounge chair, now reading a large, very old looking tome, and was so deeply buried in it he didn't hear me call. Hermione carefully marked the pages of her books before joining Ron. Harry, however, was standing at the far end of the room, with a book in his hand. He looked at me and beckoned me over.

"I've been meaning to ask you," he said, frowning, "back at the gas station, with the Death Eaters…Rastaban cast the Killing Curse."

I nodded. "And you are wondering how a Reflecto could have stopped it."

He grimaced. "Not that I'm not grateful for it, mind you, but you have to admit it's a bit weird. What is it about you that made it work?"

"Nothing about me made it work. I simply cast the spell. I was in contact with Severus. That is what made it work." Seeing Harry's confused face, I continued, "I've read up on it a bit, I knew why it didn't work but I didn't know how. See Harry, a Horcrux that is in a human behaves differently from a Horcrux in an object. Essentially, a Horcrux is nothing more then a piece of soul anchored by some perverted magical means. In an object, it doesn't actually do anything. But in a person, a Horcrux is active. Not completely like a sentient being, but close. That is why Greater Inferi can't be controlled, not even by the one who created them. Severus' own soul usually overrides the Horcrux. His soul is not broken, and much stronger therefore then the one seventh fragment he carries inside him. He can be killed, of course. But the Horcrux does not want to be destroyed. It has a crude sense of self-preservation, AND it is Dark Magic in itself. Should someone fire a Killing Curse at Severus without anything blocking, he would die. But the Horcrux used my magic, my Reflecto, to send it back at its caster. While I didn't do Dark Magic, it's effects certainly were, very, very Dark. What Severus is walking around with, Harry, is basically an embryonic Greater Inferi. Right now it protects him sometimes. Does that make sense to you? I can show you the books if you want to read it for yourself…"

Harry shook his head and smiled sadly. "No, I understand. It's a really weird situation we've got here. I found something in this book, Neville. It's some sort of diary entry, like Severus used to put in his old potions book. Here, take a look."

I took the book and scanned the notes. At the bottom of the page, there was a scribbled sentence. _Hc in person: Merlin's diary? Helga._

I looked at Harry. "Helga Hufflepuff? You think…" 

The Grey Lady approached. "Lady," Harry began, "Did Helga Hufflepuff have a secret library too?"

The ghost smiled. "Not a library exactly, but yes, she did have a secret room as well. She and Rowena Ravenclaw were the best of friends. They did many projects together. The entrance to Helga's room is through here somewhere, but you'd have to ask the Fat Friar about opening it."

"Could you find him for us, Lady? Please?"

She smiled again and slided off through the wall.

Lunch was a quiet affair. Ron ate with gusto, of course, and Harry and I were hungry as well. Hermione absentmindedly ate while still reading. Severus was just playing with his food.

"Severus, you need to actually eat that. You haven't eaten since the day before yesterday and you need your strength."

He sneered. "Afraid I will die and become a big bad monster that will destroy the world, are you?"

Insufferable git. I wasn't going to let him get away with that. "Most students would agree you already ARE a big bad monster, Severus. Must be your enchanting personality. Yes, I want you healthy and alive. For your own sake, not ours. Now EAT, or I will have the Headmistress bring Dumbledore's portrait down here to supervise you."

He stared at me, insulted. "That was a low blow," he said eventually, "Albus will tease and twinkle me into eating with his incessant happiness, he always did. Would you really do that to me?"

"I would if you don't start eating right now."

He scowled, but took a bite all the same. "So even you have a Slytherin streak in you, Mr. Longbottom," he said in between bites.

"When it comes to keeping you safe and healthy, yes, I certainly have," I stated calmly, returning my attentions to my own plate, but not before I caught the slight twitch on the corners of his mouth that gave the slightest hint of a smile.

The Grey Lady floated back in, accompanied by the Fat Friar.

"Hello there, youngsters," he greeted us cheerfully, causing four of us to smile at him and one to glare. Take your guess which one.

"I heard you want to enter Helga's domain. Well, my good friend here has explained your intent to me and I fully agree. Come along then, children," he nearly sang, as he floated over to the far end of the room. Four smiles and one glare deepened.

The friar stopped in front of a small painting of an eagle and a dragon. "Here it is, the entrance to Hufflepuffs domain. The password is the school's motto, Helga came up with it, you know. She thought it was funny, and the others agreed. Say it out loud, and tickle the dragon, but only when it's awake."

We all raised our eyebrows involuntarily, I suspect, because he looked at us and chuckled. "Well, Helga did appreciate things like that. Drove Salazar insane at times with the pranks she played on him. He never had the sense to return the jokes, unlike Godric and Rowena. Be careful what you touch in there, she's bound to have left some weird jokes behind."

Severus sneered. "Is this the person who we are to ask for advice on how to defeat Voldemort? Someone who spent her life playing pranks?"

The Friar cast him a stern look. "Helga was a lot more then just a prankster, young man. She was a genius, or she wouldn't have become one of the founders of this school. She just recognized the need for humor and relaxation in difficult times, and believe me, she had many. So don't you ever belittle her in front of me, because you don't know who you are talking about," he chastised.

What happened next caused all our jaws to drop gently to the floor. Severus apologized.

"I'm sorry, sir, I meant no disrespect. It's just that our research is so vital…"

The Friar smiled at him. "Apology accepted. I know what difficult times you live in. Just remember you are not alone. Now, shall we enter?"

Severus tentatively reached out and tickled the dragon. "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titilandus," he said softly. The dragon looked up a bit annoyed and then the entire painting disappeared, leaving a hole in the wall that grew bigger until it reached the size of an average door. A small hallway led inwards. We entered and the door closed behind us.

"Not to worry," the Friar said, "It'll open again if you knock from the inside."

A large oak door at the end of the hallway opened to a massive room full of interesting gadgets. In the middle, on a pedestal, lay an ancient tome. Hermione took a step closer and gasped. "Merlin's ghost," she said in shock.

The Friar grinned. "No, Merlin's diary," he replied.

A/N: the theories on the Horcruxes are of course entirely my own, and are exactly that: theories. I'm just using them in this story. In fact, this story forced me to develop them.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N

CarebearErin: thanks, yeah it is heartbreaking, loosing him. It's awfully quiet around the house now, with no little bugga walking all over my keyboard whenever I try to write. Oh…and I take it 'unique' is a good thing? (grins)

Silverwhitepoison: I might write a prequel about Neville finding Severus sometime, but I'm concentrating on finishing this story first. That's hard enough as it is (smiles).

Harry, Ron and I looked at the tome and knew for a fact we would be useless. It was written in Ancient Rune. Severus and Hermione cautiously walked towards it, checking for any hidden traps.

"Don't worry," the Fat Friar said cheerfully, "Helga set the traps so that they would only go off when someone unworthy or evil enters. You should be fine."

The two had reached the tome now and very gently opened it. They started talking quietly over what they read, discussing over possible translations, making sure they understood everything…in short, the three of us were bored out of our minds within minutes.

Fortunately Hufflepuff's domain was not only books. We examined the large variety of stuff on the shelves, and discovered many interesting gags. After an hour or so, Hermione called us over.

"There is useful information in here, and it seems Merlin was working on a spell that would expel the Horcrux without killing professor Snape, but he never finished it. We made a list of things that could help, could you go search for those?" she handed each of us a bit of paper.

We set to work, and at the end of that day we had collected the spells, potions and whatever else might help. Hermione and Severus were still going over the nearly completed spell in the diary, talking quietly. I was happy to see Severus showing in interest in this, if only out of curiosity.

"How does the spell work, 'Mione?" Harry asked, as we all walked up to McGonagall's office for dinner.

"Basically, it is a spell that destroys souls. That of course is Dark Magic, but this one has been adapted. It only destroys souls that have been broken by the murders their owners have committed. Theoretically, in a human Horcrux the spell would destroy the soulshard, but leave the persons own soul intact."

"But Snape has murdered," Ron blurted out, "his soul ISN'T intact."

Harry smacked him upside the head while I took Severus' elbow. He had paled and lowered his eyes.

"It's ok, Neville," he said wearily, "it's a logical question."

Hermione glared at Ron and continued. "There is a distinct difference between murders. The murder required the make a Horcrux is the worst. The intent with which one murders is very important. What you do afterwards is equally important. Professor Snape's soul is…well, not intact, but mended. He has repented of his crimes as a Death Eater and the intent with which he killed after his return was not cruelty or malice. According to Merlin, that is vitally important."

Harry smiled. "It reminds me a bit of what Professor Dumbledore once said when I worried about the similarities between me and Riddle. He said something like, it's our choices, much more then our abilities, that make us who we are."

Hermione nodded. "A bit like that. Only this is about intent more then choice, as sometimes there is no choice."

I frowned. "And this spell…you say it's a theory?"

She sighed. "Merlin didn't exactly have lots of test subjects. He had to go by logic a lot. The stress on the human body when the soulshard is removed, is immense. Merlin guessed that his spell gave the person in question only about a one in ten chance of surviving the force of the spell. But even if the host does not survive, the soulshard would be gone; so there would be no Greater Inferi."

At that moment, Harry dropped to his knees and clutched his scar, screaming in pain.

Severus was with him in an instant, leaning Harry's back against his chest and restraining him. "Come on, Potter, remember your Occlumency. Close off your mind. Push him out and shut the door. Do it, you pathetic Gryffindor! Don't let him take over."

Harry gasped, but seemed to focus more. After agonising seconds, he relaxed and slumped against Severus.

"Pathetic Gryffindor?" he sneered, before shuddering all over.

"Voldemort. He's coming here. He wants to take Hogwarts while it's empty. Tomorrow at sunset."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N Silverwhitepoison: A sequel? I can't promise you that yet, but I do have plans ready for a prequel. Does that appease you? (grins)

Severus and Neville slash? Oh Merlin, who came up with that idea? No, no, no, I will never, ever write slash! Again, I solemnly swear I am up to no slash! EVER!

AWWWWWW what's all this complaining that the previous chapter was too short? My writing doesn't improve with expanding, you know. I'll never be JK Rowling, who can write a 500 page book and keep it interesting from page 1 to 500. But ok…I'll just combine two chapters into one. (glares at readers)

We rushed to McGonagall's office and Harry told her about his vision.

"He plans to take Hogwarts. He knows a lot of the secrets of this place, it would provide him with so much help, we can't let him! Imagine Voldemort with Merlin's diary, Ravenclaw's library…what if he could access the Chamber of Secrets again?" Harry ran out of breath.

The headmistress nodded. "Tomorrow at sunset…that does give us time to get backup here. I'll contact the Aurors and the Order of the Phoenix. We need as many people here as possible."

Harry shivered. "He's coming himself, and he's bringing every available Death Eater."

Severus hid his head in his hands. "Will he call me?"

Harry sighed. "Probably. To keep you safe, at the very least. But you'll be beyond our reach if you go. We should define what we are aiming for here. Will we try to destroy Voldemort tomorrow? Because we aren't ready for that, we found the spell to destroy the soulshard but the risk is much to great to use it…"

Severus shook his head. "When it comes to that, it must be done. If I return to him, we may never have another chance. If I stay here and he escapes, he will have time and opportunity to find a way to thwart the destruction of his last Horcrux. He must be taken by surprise now."

He turned to me. "Harry must fight Voldemort, and Ron and Hermione will be needed to help him. That leaves you to perform the spell. It's complicated, but I know you are capable of doing it."

I felt all the blood drain from my face. "You are asking me to kill you!" I exclaimed.

His eyes locked with mine. "There is a chance I will survive, but most likely yes, I will die. So will Voldemort. We have no time left to better the odds."

I shook my head in despair. "I won't do it. I can't kill you."

"THEN THE WHOLE WORLD WILL DIE!" he roared, "I know you want to give me a chance to live, Neville," he continued, much softer, "but there is no time now. If I die, I die. You must do it. It will safe our entire world. And there is still a slim chance I will survive. You have to do it, Neville."

I could see the four faces behind me, all wet with tears. McGonagall approached us and put a hand on Severus' back.

"Severus…"

He turned towards her. "Minerva, it's the only way. It's now or never. You and the rest deal with the Death Eaters. Harry, Ron and Hermione must deal with Voldemort. Neville and I will hide until the right time, and then Neville will perform the spell. Once the soulshard is destroyed, Harry can kill Voldemort with the same spell. He has no complete soul left and will die."

He sighed, and for the first time in his life, he hugged the headmistress voluntarily.

"Thank you, for believing me," he said, "I can't promise it'll all be fine, no one can in a war. But we will all do the very best we can."

We returned to the Library, very subdued. Harry and I would be learning the spell with Severus' help. Hermione and Ron were going to do some mad last minute research in an effort to find something that would improve Severus' chances of survival. McGonagall was contacting the Aurors and the Order, and would take the painting of Dumbledore to explain the situation so that none of them would harm Severus. Until they had been convinced, he would stay in Hufflepuffs secret rooms.

All through the night, we practiced and researched, sleeping only a few hours. People began to arrive in the castle. At breakfast, almost all of the Order was present, and most of the Aurors.

"Thank you all for coming," McGonagall said. Severus had remained downstairs, but the rest of us had gone to the Great Hall where everyone had gathered.

"There are a few things we need to discuss. Voldemort…" she clucked impatiently as a shiver ran through the hall, "oh get a grip. Voldemort will attack at sunset. You will leave him to Harry, who will be assisted by Ron and Hermione. We will keep the Death Eaters away from them. Moody and I will discuss our strategy for that and present it to you at lunch. Then there is one more matter. Severus Snape."

The hall burst into angry yells. "SILENCE!" McGonagall roared. "I have brought the picture of professor Dumbledore here, so both he, Harry and Neville can back up what I tell you. Severus Snape killed Albus Dumbledore on the latter's command. Albus knew it would come to that and had insisted Severus kill him, instead of dying from an Unbreakable Vow he made. Albus also wrote both me and Harry a letter, explaining this. Severus has saved Harry's life when they were destroying one of Voldemorts Horcruxes."

Now the whole room gasped. "Yes. Most of you have heard the concept of Horcruxes. They are not myth. Voldemort created no less then six of them. This is how he survived last time. Now Harry must destroy Voldemort himself. Severus Snape will be fighting on our side but he and Neville Longbottom have their own mission in this battle. Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, interfere with them."

Moody growled.

"Alastor," the painting, that had been sitting quietly on one of the chairs said, "it is the truth. I ordered Severus to kill me. He argued, pleaded, yelled at me to change my mind, but in the end he was loyal to me and did what I told him. He is my son, as you will read once my will is made public. I know you have always mistrusted him, and I assure you, from beyond my grave this time, that I am right in trusting him."

Mad Eye stood up and for a moment I thought he would rip the painting apart. Then he shook his head. "Perhaps I was wrong about the boy," he said, "but one has to practice constant vigilance. I promise not to harm him. Where is he?"

McGonagall smiled. If Mad Eye was convinced, they were all convinced. "He kept out of sight until I could talk to you."

Moody nodded. "Very wise. I'd like to see the boy for myself, though, before we start our planning."

I took my pendant.

"Severus."

"Yes?" Came the response.

"Dumbledore and McGonagall have convinced Moody. He wants to talk to you."

Silence. Then an insecure voice answered,

"Take him to the school library, I'll meet you there."

Moody and I entered the library to find Severus sitting on a desk, staring at his shoes. Moody walked over. "So." He said.

Severus looked up. "So," he repeated. Moody stared at him.

"Albus was right about you then," he said, and added gruffly, "I don't apologise for not trusting you."

Severus smiled slightly. "Good thing you don't. You'd have been an idiot to trust me."

Moody nodded shortly. "Will you survive?" he asked, with an insight that surprised us. Severus shook his head. "Not likely."

Moody extended his hand and Severus, amazed, grasped it. "Good luck, kid. And thanks."

Nothing we could ever have said meant so much to Severus as that one word from the old Auror.


	15. Chapter 15

At lunch the strategy McGonagall and Moody had worked out was presented. It was clever, and was based mostly on the assumption that we would be outnumbered. Of that, we were unsure. Severus could make an estimated guess at how many Death Eaters there actually were, but no one was completely sure. If we were outnumbered, we were prepared. If we were not, so much the better, Severus reasoned.

He had been called that morning. It took more then an hour until Hermione and I had found something that lessened the pain in his arm enough for him to function normally. That was also the first time I saw him truly frightened.

"What if he sees me, and kills me before you have a chance to perform the spell?" he said, shivering, "I would become a Greater Inferi. But if we perform the spell now, he might do something erratic."

I got my invisibility cloak and enlarged it to twice its normal size with a spell Harry had taught me. "There. We will both fit underneath this. We will stay out of the battle until Harry has located Voldemort and then I will perform the spell."

He looked at me. "I'm sorry, Neville, that I have to do this to you." He turned his head to stare at the rows of books. It was late afternoon. We were sitting together in Ravenclaw's library. Harry, Ron and Hermione were going over their own strategy in Hufflepuffs room and needed some privacy.

"I guess most of my students at least will be happy when I'm dead," he said, "I never enjoyed being a teacher, but I do wish things could have been different."

The Trio walked in from the other room, pale but a determined look on their faces.

"An hour and a half until sunset. We have to get ready, and we want to spend some time with the Weasleys first," Harry said. He looked at Severus. "Good luck, Sir," he said, "I never thanked you enough for all the times you saved my life." Severus shook his hand. "Good luck…Harry," he said, "if anyone can do this, it's you. Albus was so proud of you."

I shan't dwell too long on the goodbyes we said before the battle, not knowing who would live and who would die. It was a strange sensation to feel that time went both too fast and too slow. We took our places. Severus and I hid under the invisibility cloak just outside the castle. It was deadly silent. Then, after what seemed like hours, we saw the army of Death Eaters appear. And at the back of the army, Voldemort.

McGonagall stood in between the huge doors.

"Surrender the castle now, woman, and you may live," Voldemort hissed, triumph in his eyes when he saw no one but the Headmistress.

"No," she said, "I will not defile Dumbledores memory by allowing you to enter."

"You stupid woman," the Dark Lord hissed, "I offered you a chance. Avada Kedavra!"

The spell shot straight through the figure and slammed into Nearly Headless Nick, who stopped it, but obviously could not die again.

"An illusion," Voldemort hissed, enraged. "Attack!"

Severus and I saw the Trio among the group of Order members on the left. "There are less Death Eaters then we thought," I whispered, "are there so few, or did he leave some behind?"

Severus shrugged. "He may keep some in the Forest. If he did, Grawp and his friends will deal with them. I think quite a number did not respond to his summons. Not everyone is all that excited about attacking Hogwarts, I should think. If we are successful, rounding them up will take some time."

Curses started flying thick and fast as the surprised Death Eaters were attacked, from all sides, by Aurors and Order members. The ghosts of the castle joined in, unable to actually cause much damage, but certainly distracting quite a number of Death Eaters by floating straight through them.

Voldemort lingered behind with only Wormtail and Lucius to guard him. Then Wormtail was destracted by Remus Lupin, who called to him from over the battlefield. I saw Wormtail look up at Voldemort questioningly, who smirked. "Go kill your werewolf," he sneered.

Wormtail moved off.

What we saw next made our jaws drop to the ground. Two people approached Lucius. Moody, as we had expected…and Draco.

Harry stepped forward.

"Ah, Harry," Voldemort said, "Fancy seeing you here."

"Hello Tom," Harry replied, wand at the ready.

After that, the conversation continued in Parseltongue, and I couldn't understand any of it. But suddenly, a curse flew. Ron and Hermione were hard pressed to keep the Death Eaters at bay. Harry and Voldemort exchanged a variety of curses and each kept up an impressive amount of shields. Nevertheless both got hit by some spells, and were soon bleeding.

Severus sighed. "Now, Neville. Harry needs his strength for the final spell. Do it now!"

He threw off the invisibility cloak. Harry saw us over Voldemorts shoulder. He nodded.

I swallowed and pointed my wand at Severus, who knelt before me. I started the chant. Ron and Hermione threw up a shielding charm around Harry, who started the chant two lines after I did, pointing his wand at Voldemort.

Severus screamed and dropped to the ground, his body convulsing as if under ten Cruciatus curses. Voldemort wasn't in much better shape.

As I finished the chant, Severus lay motionless. The soulshard broke free and dissipated. The sixth Horcrux was destroyed.

Harry finished his chant seconds after that. The last broken piece of Tom Riddles soul that inhabited Voldemort's body left and disappeared. Voldemort crumbled at Harry's feet, clearly dead as well.

I dropped to my knees and took Severus' body in my arms, wiping away the blood that still ran from his nose and rocked while around us the remaining Death Eaters surrendered or fled."

"We buried him with his father, giving him all the honor he didn't receive in life. And that, Minister," said Neville Longbottom to Rufus Scrimgeour, "is why I punched you when you offered me an Order of Merlin for killing Severus Snape."

Scrimgeour, still holding his bleeding and broken nose, slumped in defeat when the young Wizard stood up, and with one look at the two Aurors that had restrained him, walked out of the room and out of the Ministry.


End file.
